As implied by my previous post, the discussion on the future direction of conservatism continues over on Slate. The best, most direct point so far that sums up the GOP’s current predicament (from Doug Kmiec):

One needs a philosophy of governance in addition to honoring the constitutional structure. Barack Obama’s philosophy of government provides service for needs unmet by the market. And the Republicans’ philosophy?

I got the impression over the past year that my Republican friends (at least those who voted for McCain) were supporting the ideas that the GOP represented in the past–specifically, a more pragmatic, efficient government that balances the costs and benefits of its actions–against a strawman representing the Democrats of the past.  But the Democratic Party is the one that emodies this practical, free market philosophy now, and the GOP has become the party of social conservatives.  The right’s throwaway “all tax cuts all the time” line provides no real governing philosophy, and no real solution to widely-acknowledged problems. (It is the mantra of an opposition party, at best.)  The party of ideas driven by William F. Buckley and, later, Newt Gingrich no longer exists. The GOP is a parody of its former self.

The Democrats need an intellectual challenge to their own plans and ideas in order to govern well. Here’s hoping the Republicans get their act together quickly enough to provide one.

Tucker Carlson on what the GOP needs to do to regain the majority:

Finally, after the party has settled on what it believes, it ought to go shopping for a leader. I recommend someone who speaks fluent English. This matters, it turns out, and not just for aesthetic reasons. In a democracy, eloquence is a basic condition of leadership. A president has a moral as well as a political obligation to explain his program. His constitutional powers are limited to just a few (war, the veto). His real authority comes from persuasion.

It helps if you can talk.

Slate magazine is hosting an online discussion (in the form of back-and-forth posts, not a live chat) on the future of conservatism in the new Obama era.  Tucker Carlson, Ross Douthat, Douglas Kmiec, Jim Manzi, Kathleen Parker, and Christine Todd Whitman contribute. Definitely worth checking out.